Senegal

Senegal is a wonderful country to cycle in. If not for their delicious food, it’s for the beautiful landscapes and the mighty baobab trees. You might want to consider bringing earplugs, because the many times the kids scream “tubab, tubab” to you makes you want to cycle in the remote Sahara.

In the cities (Dakar!) and tourist areas the people are sometimes very pushy. It is considered quite normal that you pay for things for them. Depending on your resilience, begging for pens (Bic) and money can drive you to despair. Being blunt and arrogant is sometimes a requirement. The traces of colonization and well-meaning white tourists who regularly stuff the poor black people have contributed to this mentality.

In the province outside the tourist areas (coast), on the other hand, people are very hospitable and friendly, especially in the Casamance. Here it has been restless for years (rebel uprising) so tourists have avoided it.

The official language is French, those who have been to school speak it. Next to this, Wolof is the second semi-official language. Furthermore, many other languages are spoken which differ per region

Some nationalities (dark green) can enter Senegal visa free for 90 days. The other nationalities need to apply for a visa. Citizens that can visit Senegal without visa will receive an entry stamp at the border.

Source: Wikipedia.

Generally safe to cycle, be cautious in big cities.

Without exception, you can cycle without any problems in the whole of Senegal, nowadays also in the Casamance (south). (For the current situation, please consult the travel advice for Senegal at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.)

Dakar is known as a dangerous city, it has the highest crime rate in West Africa after Lagos (Nigeria). However, if you don't behave too flashy, a stay is usually not a problem in terms of safety.

Senegalese cuisine is called the best in West Africa and has some tasty dishes. 'Poulet yassa' (chicken in onion-lemon sauce) and 'riz yollof' (rice with meat-tomato sauce) can be found in almost every restaurant and without exception in every eatery. The disadvantage here is that if you don't cook yourself, it can come out of your nose at some point.

In the morning, breakfast usually consists of Nescafe and a piece of baguette with your choice of butter or (Calvé) mayonnaise. You can mainly find fresh vegetables on the market. Onions are the second most popular food after rice and are consumed in such quantities that people cannot fully provide them themselves. Available in almost every shop, just like cheese from 'la vache qui rit'.

Drinking water comes from wells outside the cities. The quality is often unreliable, especially when there are livestock around, the droppings often contain diseases that you really don't want to contract. The locals will almost always claim that it is perfectly drinkable. The fact that people usually don't get very old has nothing to do with that? It is therefore highly recommended to bring a Katadyn filter. Bottled water is available everywhere in the larger towns and cities, but it is expensive. Water is also sold chilled in plastic bags. Only buy the printed and sealed ones, only this is reliable drinking water.

Soft drinks: Cola, Fanta and Sprite are (chilled) available everywhere in the shops, sometimes also beer. Cafes with seats and terraces are rare outside the cities.

Tea is the popular drink, it is imported from China and prepared in the same way as in Morocco and other West African countries: boiled and with a lot of sugar, served in three rounds. Tea as we know it is also there and is called 'the Lipton'. Coffee is almost without exception Nescafe.

• Malaria is public enemy number one, especially in the rainy season! Protective equipment DEET, prophylaxis, etc. are available on site.
• Vaccinations against yellow fever, DTP and hepatitis A are recommended.
• It is recommended to bring sterile needles as well as prophylaxis against malaria.
• Many Westerners prefer to visit clinics in Dakar in case of emergency.

Best time to cycle

September to March, during the dry season is the best time to go. In April it gets quite hot (about 40 degrees). The rainy season in the south (Casamance) is significantly longer than in the north. Between the rain showers: very hot and high humidity. Sandstorms (harmatan) can occur in January and February.

Spare parts

In Senegal you can hardly get parts for the modern western bike. So take enough spare material with you. In case of extreme emergency you can go to Bomtey Sport, Rue Petavin (in the center of Dakar) in Dakar. This is possibly the only bike dealer with western parts in all of West Africa. However, cycling there is no fun due to the busy and dirty traffic.

What you find at the local bike shops is mainly Chinese and India's stuff, not really suitable for your holiday bike with the exception of maybe an inner tube and some stickers.